Punctuation, Other (Po)

• Clearly define the Po category for points that are not letters, numbers, or symbols but still punctuation-like marks; document criteria for consistent classification.
• Use data-driven Unicode files to classify code points rather than hand-coding lists; keep mappings centralized and versioned.
• Account for typography and language context; some Po forms vary by locale and font, affecting rendering and word boundaries.
• Ensure accessibility with clear semantics and predictable behavior in assistive tech; test with screen readers and keyboard navigation.
• Validate across platforms and fonts; check rendering in common editors, browsers, and OS-level typography before release.

Punctuation, Other (Po) covers marks that punctuate text but do not fall into the standard symmetric punctuation or symbol classes. It often sits between language scripts and typographic design, guiding rendering rules and search behavior in multilingual content. In practice, Po points are used by font developers, localization pipelines, and text engines to keep punctuation handling predictable across contexts.

Typical usage involves tagging unusual or language-agnostic punctuation so tooling can apply correct shaping, breaking, and rendering decisions. Pitfalls include overgeneralizing Po as merely “special symbols,” which can misclassify characters that influence line breaking or text flow. Historically, designers have sought stable, cross-platform conventions for punctuation to improve interoperability and readability across languages and scripts. For related topics, see Arrows block and Geometric shapes block.